The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 52: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE LAWYER’S OFFICE 35 | penury itself, —she who has never known what it is to want. And then her husband, my son-in-law, Lord Octa- vian — oh, what a dreadful blow for him! No, no, it.is- impossible, you could not do me so much ae You would not, you are a man of feeling.”’ “ Mr. Armytage,”’ inquired Coleman, “ how much money do you possess? ”’ ‘Not a hundred pounds in the whole world!.’’: almost shrieked forth the wretched man. ‘“ I ought to: have made’ hundreds of thousands. Joughttoberich. Oh, I ought to have amassed treasures. But a hideous fatality has hung over me, everything has gone wrong. I throw ton upon your mercy.’ “Mr. Armytage,”’ said Coleman, rising from his ats and | leaning against the mantel with a certain resoluteness of air, ‘‘yvou borrowed this money for a stated time. The-instruc-: tions of my client are positive, and however much: I may deplore the necessity of using harshness, yet circumstances leave me no alternative.”’ ‘“ And what — what would you do? ’”’ asked the Peinbenble man, bending forward in his chair, and looking up: with an expression of haggard, ghastly appeal into the feces Ss. countenance. “Mr. Armytage,’ ete Wdesanits, a i; fe ace told you that my client’s instructions are of the most positive character. And when I tell you that it is no secret to us } that you are otherwise indebted, that you have raised twenty thousand pounds by means of bills — “Yes — bills!’ gasped Armytage, and more hiaewidy haggard, if possible, became his countenance. ‘‘ Those bills — those bills! Ruin — disgrace — infamy!” he muttered to himself, with a certain vacancy, as . reason were ce i him. ‘‘ And these bills, i continued Mr. Chlaaiaks a“ have all. fallen into my hands, or rather, the hands of that same client to whom you were already so largely. indebted.’’ ‘ But they are not as yet due,” cried Armytage: “No, but they will be due in a few days,” rejoined Cole- man, “and how will you pay them? Upwards. of seventy thousand pounds do you now owe to this client of mine, and. you have admitted your almost total want of resources. Permit me to ask one question. I believe you possess the. CoOnnicloookKs (©)